Master Builders welcomes shake-up of consents and liability

18 August 2025

Master Builders welcomes the Government’s landmark reforms to the building system, which aim to cut red tape in consents and introduce fairer liability rules.

The reforms, described as the most significant since the Building Act 2004, are designed to tackle long-standing inefficiencies and fairness concerns. They include voluntary consolidation of Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) and a shift to proportionate liability.

Master Builders CEO, Ankit Sharma, said the package represents a positive step towards creating a more consistent, efficient, and balanced system.

“Builders have long faced duplication, delays, and inconsistent decisions across more than 60 different BCAs. The proposal to consolidate BCAs and introduce common data standards has the potential to reduce compliance costs, improve consistency across regions, and speed up approvals. These are practical solutions that, if implemented well, could drive meaningful productivity gains for the sector,” Sharma said.

He added that addressing liability settings is just as important.

“The current joint-and-several system has meant councils carry a disproportionate share of risk, which has made them overly cautious and slowed down consenting. Moving to proportionate liability has the potential to create a fairer and more balanced system, provided it is paired with strong consumer protections such as home warranties and appropriate practitioner insurance,” Sharma said.

“Our members have consistently highlighted consent complexity and liability rules as barriers to delivering more homes, more affordably. Today’s announcement signals that the Government is listening. Master Builders looks forward to working with officials to ensure these reforms are implemented effectively and deliver better outcomes for the sector and, most importantly, for Kiwi homeowners,” Sharma said.